Form for casting elongated concrete building units t shape in cross section



Aug. 18, 1953 P. N. YOUTZ FORM FOR CASTING ELONGATED CONCRETE BUILDING UNITS T SHAPE IN CROSS SECTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 16, 1951 w B Y I I 0 GM @zrmw Aug. 18, 1953 P. N. YouTz FORM FOR CASTING ELONGATED CONCRETE BUILDING UNITS T SHAPE IN CROSS SECTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 16, 1951 INVENTOR Mom awm

Patented Aug. 18, 1953 OFFICE FORM FOR CASTING ELONGATED CON- CRETE BUILDING UNITS T SHAPE IN CROSS SECTION Philip N. Youtz, Yorktown Heights, N. Y.

Application October 16, 1951, Serial No. 251,495

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a form or mold for casting elongated concrete building units having a T-sha e in cross section. An example of a building unit of this type is shown in my coending application, Serial Number 231,290 filed June 13, 1951.

The building unit shown in said application presents an elongated head portion and a stern portiondepending from the head portion centrally thereof, one edge of the head portion having a groove extending longitudinally thereof, and the other edge of said head portion having a rib or tongue also extending longitudinally thereof which is complemental to the groove in the other edge. The stem portion is provided with a plurality of transverse openings.

Building units of this type are designed for use in building floors or walls of buildings, and when used for a floor the units are placed with their heads in edge to edge relation and with the rib or tongue on one edge of each unit fitting into the groove on the edge of an adjacent unit. When these are assembled the interlocking head portions of the units form the floor surface, and the stem portions of the units function as beams for supporting the floor.

Such building units may be made in any length up to 25 or 30 feet, and a solid floor may be built by simply assembling the units as above described and supporting them at their ends only.

One object of the invention is to provide a novel form or mold by which the casting of a quantity of similar concrete building units can be greatly facilitated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a form or mold which is so constructed that after the concrete mix has been poured into the mold, the sides thereof can be immediately stripped from the wet casting, thereby leaving the casting on the bottom of the mold which supports it until it is cured or dried.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mold or form which is designed for continuous wet casting. As stated above, the sides of the form may be stripped from the wet casting as soon as the concrete has been poured, said casting then remaining on the bed or bottom of the form until it is dry. As soon as the sides of the form have been thus stripped from the wet casting they can be assembled with another form bottom member to make an empty form which can be immediately used for casting another building unit, and as soon as the sides have been stripped from this second wet casting they can be assembled with a third bottom element to provide another form in which a third building unit can be cast.

By repeating this process, the same side members of the form can be repeatedly assembled with different bottom members to produce a succession of forms by which a quantity of building units can be cast in quick succession without waiting for each wet casting to dry before a second casting is made.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel form by which building units of a variety of different lengths can be cast.

In order to give an understanding of the invention, I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described, after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side view with part broken out showing a form or mold embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 2 2, Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary perspective views illustrating the tongue and groove forming members which are used in the form to produce the groove and tongue on the head portion of the casting.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing one end of the form in side view.

Fig. 6 is a view of the end plate by which the sides of the form are connected together.

Fig. '7 is a view showing a separator which may be used when it is desired to cast a building unit of less length than that of the form.

Fig. 8 is a view showing the slight divergence in shape between the operative faces of the tongue and groove members.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view illustratingbuilding units which have been cast in my improved mold in assembled relation and illustrating the space provided between the meeting edges for receiving grouting to bind the units together.

. Fig. 10 is a side View on a small scale of one of the sectional tongue and groove forming members.

. Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line ll-I I, Fig. 5.

. The building unit which is produced by my improved mold is shown in Fig. 9, and it comprises a head portion I having a depending stem portion'2, the head portion I having a rib or tongue 3 extending along one edge thereof and having a groove 4 extending along the opposite edge thereof, and also having a plurality of transverse openings 25.

The form or mold herein illustrated is designed to cast the building unit such as shown in Fig. 9 in inverted position with the head member 1 at the bottom and the stem 2 extending upwardly from the head.

Such mold is indicated generally at 5, and it may be of any desired length, although for practical purposes a length from 30 to 40 feet will probably be the limit.

The mold is formed with a bed member or pallet 6 which forms the bottom of the mold cavity, and with two side members 1 and 8 between which the stem portion 2 of the casting is formed and which are separable from the pallet.

The pallet or bed member 6, which forms the bottom of the mold cavity has a fiat top surface which is free from any projection rising above the flat face. The side members I and 8 are preferably made from hot rolled steel, and each presents the vertical wall section 9 and an outwardly directed horizontal portion Ill extending from the bottom of the wall portion 9, each horizontally directed section iii having integral therewith a skirt I! depending from its outer edge, said skirt extending the full length of the side member. The parts are so proportioned that when the side members 1 and 8 are assembled with the pallet or bottom member 6, the lower edges of the skirt portions II have a straddling relation to the bed member 6, as shown in Fig. 2.

The form also includes an elongated tongueforming member l3 and an elongated grooveforming member M which are separable from both the pallet member 6 and the side members I and 8 and which are situated between the pallet 6 and the outwardly extending sections ID of the side members. The tongue-forming member 13 and the groove-forming member both rest loosely upon the pallet 6. The tongue-forming member is located at one longitudinal edge of the pallet and the groove-forming member I4 is located at the other longitudinal edge of said pallet. The horizontally extending sections In of the side members rest loosely on the tongueforming member 13 and the groove forming member Hi. When thus assembled the space [5 bounded by the bed member 6, the tongue and groove forming members I3 and I4, and the horizontally extending portions H] provide the cavity which gives shape to the head portion l of the casting, and the space I6 between the side members I and 8 forms the cavity which gives shape to the stem 2 of the casting.

The tongue and groove forming members I3 and M are preferably made in sections for ease in handling. The member I3 is provided on its inner or operative face with a groove I! which extends longitudinally thereof and which gives the desired shape to the rib or tongue 3 of the casting. The member I4 is formed on its inner or operative face with a rib l8 which extends longitudinally thereof and which gives the shape to the groove 4 of the casting.

The members I3 and I4 are separate from both the side members 1 and 8 and the pallet or bed members 6, and they are held in position by means of positioning pins 19 which extend upwardly from the top surface thereof through apertures in the horizontally extending sections H! at points outside of the vertical Wall portions 9 and closely adjacent the outer edge portions of said sections IE9, as shown in Fig. 2. Each positioning pin [9 is provided with an aperture 20 to receive a cotter pin by which the members l3 and I4 and the sides 7 and 8 may be held in assembled relation. The positioning pins are shown as having tapered ends 2|, and the apertures through the horizontally extending sections H) are counter-bored, as shown at 22, to facilitate the insertion of the pins [9 upwardly through the apertures.

The side members I and 8 are provided with pairs of alined circular apertures 23, and the cylindrical core member 24 is inserted through each pair of alined apertures. This core has a tubular form, as shown best in Fig. 2, and is of a length to extend some distance beyond the outer" face of each of the side walls 9. The purpose of these core members 24 is to provide the casting with the transverse openings 25 through the stem. portion 2. As herein shown the circular openings 23 are tangential to the top face of the horizontally extending sections H3.

The ends of the form are closed by end plates 26 which are bolted to reinforcing wing members 27 which are welded to the side members at the ends thereof. The side members are shown as having outwardly directed flanges 28 at their upper edges, and the wing members 21 are received between the flanges 28 and the outwardly extending portions ill, and may be welded to the side members, as stated above.

The form as above described is shown as mounted on suporting rails 29 that are mounted on pedestals 30. Brackets 3! are secured to the side members at their upper edges to provide means by which the side members can be raised or stripped from the wet casting as will be presently described, said brackets each having an opening 32 to receive the hook of a crane or other lifting equipment.

When the form is to be used for casting a building unit, the various parts are first assembled. This may be done by placing the pallet or bed member 6 on the rails 29 and then placing the tongue and groove forming members l3 and M on the edges of the pallet with the positioning pins i9 directed upwardly, and then lowering the connected side members 1 and 8 into position, during which operation the pins [9 enter the apertures in the outwardly directed portions ll). Or, the tongue and groove forming members 53 and I4 may be first assembled with the side members and cotter pins inserted through the apertures 20, thereby to hold the side members i and 8 and the tongue and groove forming members l3 and M in properly assembled relation. The assembled side members 1 and 8 and the tongue and groove forming members l3 and I4 may then be lowered onto the pallet 6, as shown in Fig. 2. As stated above, the tongue-forming member 13 and the groove-forming member [4 are separable from and rest loosely on the flat top face of the pallet 6, and the horizontally extending sections 10 of the side members rest loosely on and are separable from the tongue and groove forming members l3 and M. The core members 24 are then inserted in the apertures 23, the form then being in condition to receive the cement mix. The cement is poured into the form, and during this operation it is desirable that the form should be vibrated back and forth on the rails 29 in order to settle the concrete in the form.

The pallet 6 is shown as somewhat longer than the side members 1 and 8 so that the ends 33 of the pallet project beyond the ends of the form. These projecting ends provide means by which any suitable mechanism may be attached to the form. for the purpose of vibrating it longitudinally on the rails 29. When the form has been filled, the cement is troweled at the top to provide a smooth surface for the stem portion of the casting.

It is intended to use a relatively stiff concrete mix and as soon as the concrete has been poured, and while it is still wet, the cores 24, the side walls I, 8, and the tongue and groove-forming members I3 and I4 may be wet-stripped from the casting thereby leaving the Wet casting resting on the bed member or pallet 8, on which it will remain until the concrete is properly dried or cured.

Each core member 24 can be removed from the openings 23 without disturbing the wet concrete by giving it a turning movement about its axis as it is withdrawn and because the openings formed by the cores are cylindrical the wall of each opening has the characteristic of an arch and thereby such wall will remain intact and will be prevented from collapsing as the core is withdrawn even though the concrete is still wet.

After the cores 24 have been thus withdrawn, the cotter pins, if they are used in the openings of the positioning pins I9, are removed and the connected side members I and 8 may be stripped from the sides of the wet casting by lifting them vertically and sliding them along the side walls of the casting. Any suitable lifting equipment may be used for this purpose.

The presence of the holes 23 in the side walls permits the entrance of air which will assist in breakin any vacuum that might develop by the wet-stripping operation of the side walls.

The walls 9 of the side members are made slightly tapering, as shown in Fig. 2, the distance between the walls progressively increasing from the top of the form to the bottom, as shown in Fig. 2. Since the side members are not connected to the bottom member 6 they may be readily stripped from the casting, as stated above, thereby leaving the wet casting and the tongue and groove forming members 53 and I4 on the pallet 6. It is proposed to make the side members I and 8 with polished inner faces so that the stripping operation can be accomplished without injuring in any way the Wet casting.

When the side members I and 8 have been removed the tongue and. groove-forming members I3 and I4 will still remain on the pallet 6. These members I3 and I4 may then be wet-stripped from the sides of the head I5 of the wet casting by sliding said members along the sides of the casting in the direction of the length of the tongues and grooves. This sliding movement can be performed without danger of disturbing the wet casting so that when the side walls and the members I3 and I4 have been wet-stripped from the casting the latter will still retain its original shape in all respects on the pallet member 6. Said pallet with the wet casting may then be carefully removed from the rails 29 and deposited in any suitable location while the wet casting is drying or curing.

After the side members I and 8 and the tongue and groove forming members I3 and I4 have been stripped from the wet casting, they may be reassembled and then assembled with another pallet or bed member 6 to form a new mold into which concrete may be poured for forming a second casting, and this operation of forming the second casting may, of course, be carried out while the first casting is still supported on its pallet and is being cured.

After a second casting has been made as above 6 described with relation to the first casting, and the side members I and 8 and the tongue and groove forming members I3 and I4 have been stripped from the second casting, said parts can be reassembled and then assembled with a third pallet for forming a third casting.

By having in hand a sufficient number of pallets 6, the same side members I and 8 and the same tongue and groove forming members I3 and I4 can be used with the various pallets successively to form a quantity of castings in rapid succession.

It is to be noted that in using my improved form the setting or curing of the castings does not take place within the form as is usual in making cast concrete products, but instead takes place after the sides of the form have been removed and while the casting is being supported on the pallet 6.

The tongue and groove forming members l3 and I4 are preferably so made that the tongue 3 on one edge of a casting is slightly smaller than the groove 4 on the adjacent casting. As shown in Fig. 9, the groove 4 is slightly wider than the tongue 3, and the width of the head I at its bottom (the distance between the points a and b) is slightly greater than the width at the top (the distance between the points c and (1) so that when two castings are assembled in edge to edge relation with the bottom portions of the heads in contact, a narrow groove 34 will exist between the upper portions of the heads of the adjacent castings. Each groove is widest at the top and gradually decreases in width to about the point 36.

It is intended that this crack or groove 34 will be filled with grouting when the fioor is laid, said grouting serving to lock the separate units firmly together.

To provide casting-s having these characteristics the groove-forming rib or tongue l8 on the member I4 is wider than the tongue-forming groove H in the member I3, and the transverse dimension of the member I4 is slightly greater below its rib I8, as seen in Fig. 2, than it is above said rib, and the transverse dimension of the member I3 is slightly greater below its groove 1'! (see Fig. 2) than it is above said groove.

The two members I3 and I4, therefore, are so made that when they are in their proper positions in the form, as indicated in Fig. 2, the distance between the inner faces of the members above the rib I3 and groove I! is slightly greater than that between said faces below said rib and groove. As a result, the head of each castingwill be slightly wider at its lower face (that is, the face from which the stem 2 projects) than it is at its top face when the unit is in its rightside up position, as shown in Fig. 9. The crack or groove 34 which is thus formed extends the full length of the assembled units, and hence when said cracks are filled with grouting the units will be firmly tied together.

The relation between the two operative faces of the member I3 and I4 is illustrated in Fig. 8 wherein the full line represents the shape of the member I4 having the groove-forming tongue l8 and the dotted line shows the shape of the member I3 with its tongue-forming groove.

If it is desired to cast a building unit having a length less than that of the form, I propose to use spacers or partition members 31 such as seen in Fig. '7, which may be placed in the form at the desired distance from one end to produce a casting of the required length. This spacer 31 has a base portion 38 having the notch 39 in one end and the projection 40 at the other end, said notch receiving the rib 18 of the member l4 and the projection 49 fitting into the groove ll of the member IS. The body of the spacer is of a size to fit between the walls 9 of the side members. Such a partition or spacer can be placed in any position between the side members depending upon the length of the casting to be made and when in position it forms one end of the mold cavity.

If it is desired to make castings which are one half the length of the mold or form, the partition will be placed in the mold centrally of the length thereof, in which case two units of equal length can be cast in the mold at the same time.

In Fig. l I have shown a plurality of wing members El welded to the side member 7 at various points along its length, and similar wing members may be welded to the other side member 8. Such wingmembers serve to stiffen the form if it is a relatively long one.

The method of wet stripping a concrete casting, which is described in this application, has been made the subject of a divisional application Serial Number 355,023 filed May 14, 1953.

I claim:

1. A mold for casting a concrete building unit T-shape in cross section and having a groove along one side of its head and a rib along the other side of said head, said mold comprising an elongated pallet member forming the bottom of the mold cavity and having a fiat top face, and also being free from any portion projecting above said face, two elongated side members separable from the pallet member and each presenting a vertically extending wall portion which merges at its lower edge into an outwardly extending horizontal section which has integral therewith a vertical skirt depending from its outer edge and which extends from one end to the other of the side member, an elongated tongue-forming memher and an elongated groove-forming member situated between the pallet and the outwardly extending horizontal sections of the side members, said tongue-forming member and grooveforming member each being separable from both the pallet and the side members, the tongueforming member resting loosely on the fiat top face of the pallet at one longitudinal edge thereof and having on its inner face a tongue-forming groove extending longitudinally thereof, the groove-forming member also resting loosely on the pallet member but at the opposite longitudinal edge thereof and having a longitudinal grooveforming rib, the outwardly extending horizontal sections of the side members resting loosely on the tongue-forming member and groove-forming member, and the lower edges of the two skirts extending below the top face of the pallet member and having a straddlin relation thereto.

2. A mold for casting elongated concrete building units T-shape in cross section as defined in claim 1, in which the tongue-forming member and the groove-forming member are each divided into sections and each section of each member has pins secured rigid therewith and rising from the top face thereof, which pins extend upwardly through the outwardly directed horizontal sections of the side members at points outside of the vertically extending wall portions.

3. A mold for casting elongated concrete building units T-shape in cross section as defined in claim 1 in which the longitudinally extending groove-forming tongue of the groove-forming member isslightly wider than the longitudinally extending tongue-forming groove in the tongueforming member, whereby the groove formed in one side of the castingwill be slightly wider than the tongue formed on the other side of said casting.

4. A mold for casting elongated concrete building units T-shape in cross section, as defined in claim 1, in which the width and depth of the tongue-forming groove in the tongue-forming member is slightly less than the width and height of the groove-forming tongue on the grooveforming member, and the transverse dimension of the surface of each member corresponding to the top face of the T casting made in the mold is slightly less than the similar dimension of the opposite face of said members, whereby when two T-shape castings which have been made in the mold are placed with their heads in edge-toedge relation and with the tongue on the head of one casting occupying the groove in the head of the other casting there will exist a groove of progressively decreasing width along the joint between the castings adapted to receive grouting by which the two castings will be bound together.

PI-ILLlP N. YOUTZ.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 829,377 Bartlett Aug. 21, 1906 975,481 Tidnam Nov. 15, 1910 1,092,195 Workman Apr. '7, 1914 1,423,708 Bruun July 25, 1922 1,905,897 Cahill V Apr. 25, 1933 

